The present invention relates generally to a vehicle hood that is deployable upwardly in response to the vehicle impacting a pedestrian to provide additional crush space between the hood and underhood components.
For example, a vehicle engine hood is known, which in reaction to a collision of the vehicle with a pedestrian can be unfolded upwards, in order to provide additional crumple zone between the engine hood and the components below the hood.
In modern motor vehicle design it is desirable for reasons of visibility, aerodynamic and aesthetics that the hood line of the engine is as flat as possible. As a result, there is generally very little clearance between the hood and the engine bay contents of the automotive vehicle. Consequently, the hood is unable to yield enough to provide significant dampening if a pedestrian strikes the hood during an accident. Pedestrian safety performance can be improved by increasing the clearance between the hood and the vehicle components beneath the hood.
One way to achieve a greater clearance while maintaining a flat hood line during normal vehicle operations is to provide a device to raise the hood in response to or immediately prior to the vehicle impacting a pedestrian.
German patent DE 10 2006 043 539 B3 discloses a pedestrian protection system with pyrotechnical actuators shall be able to be fitted out with solenoid actuators. The disadvantage of this system is that the limited diagnostic capabilities. For example, the open line between additional module and actuator (output loop) cannot be diagnosed by the old ECU (input loop).
It would be desirable to provide a vehicle engine compartment hood that actively offers energy absorption when the vehicle is driven in a pedestrian rich environment or operating in conditions of high probability for pedestrian and vehicle collision.
It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating exemplary embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
A vehicle engine compartment hood is provided for a vehicle body having a hood opening. A hood panel normally closes the engine compartment. A hood base panel underlies the hood panel and is pivotally mounted on the vehicle body for pivotal opening movement to lift the hood panel and allow access to the engine compartment through the hood opening. A mechanism acts between the hood panel and the hood base panel for selectively elevating the hood panel above the hood base panel and the hood opening when the vehicle is in a pedestrian rich environment. The mechanism absorbs energy when an impact is received against the hood panel.